Wolf Children - Children no More
by Tame Life
Summary: A story that follows the life of Ame and Yuki after the events of the film. This takes place during the summer holidays of Yuki's first year of middle school and has an unexpected reunion with his ambitious brother, Ame, in the depth of the mountainous forest. What happens next is a mystery.
1. Welcome Home

_I do not own Wolf Children. All characters within this story belong to Mamoru Hosoda and Madhouse Studio. Please watch the original film, Wolf Children before embarking on this work of fictions._

_Be aware that this story takes place one year after the film ends during the Summer Holidays following Yuki's first year at Middle School._

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_I do not own the artwork used as the cover image. The author is from Deviant Art known as LaestusNix.  
_

_ art/Wolf-children-359872935_

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**Welcome Home  
**

The soft breeze whispered through the tall trees of the countryside as the heat of the summer's sun beat down upon the villagers who worked and worked throughout the day, tending to the crops. They sweat and huffed as their wide-brimmed hats barely held back the heat. They worked the ground and watered their crops while staying aware of any snakes that slithered up to a nice rock to bake in the sun.

On a winding dirt road dividing the two fields rode a teenage girl with long brown hair that swayed behind her in the wind. She wore a simple, sleeveless, blue dress that revealed her pale arms and her cute, innocent-looking face that made her rather popular throughout the year group.

This was Yuki. Wolf child of Ookami, daughter to Hana and older sister of Ame: a family that had been separated over the years of her life. Her father died when she was only the age of one, while Ame ran away to live in the forest when she was eleven.

It hadn't been easy on her or her mother but over the past year they had learned to accept the loss of Ame and the path that he had chosen. To Yuki it wasn't an ideal way of living but she had no say in it as he was long gone by the time she found out.

Now at the age of thirteen, Yuki was on her way home for her summer holidays. She had been studying at a middle school in the city and rented an apartment for her to stay. Souhei also attended her school but they hadn't had much time spend with one another due to the workload they've been receiving. Regardless she felt excited to be finally coming back home and see her mother again.

She rode down the path on her bike at a high speed causing a small cloud of dust to rise behind her back wheel. Yuki raised her hand to her forehead and wiped away the sweat that had been gathering around her hairline. She panted heavily but kept going. Usually she could handle the distance with no problem but the heat was making her tired and constantly thirsty making it hard to ride through the countryside.

By the time she arrived home she urgently need a bath and a change of clothes due to all the sweat that had been soaked up. She hopped off her bike and placed it by the shed, calling out, "Mum! I'm home!"

"Yuki? Is that you?" asked her mother as she stepped out from the house onto the veranda. She wasn't expecting her daughter to come home, as Yuki hadn't given her any warning. Upon seeing her daughter she stepped off and ran up to her, pulling her into a close and loving hug. "It's so good to see you again sweetie!"

Yuki smiled brightly and hugged back just as tightly, wrapping her arms around her mother's waist, "It's good to see you too mum!" she said excitedly and pulled away from her.

Hana ignored the fact that he daughter was covered in sweat and gave one of her classic beaming smiles, "Come on inside Yuki. I'll make you a nice cup of tea and you can tell me all about your school year."

"Okay mum," she replied and followed her into the house. She looked around, not much has changed since she was last here. The coffee table still sat in the middle of the room and the kitchen was still very much tiny. The windows had been cleaned and the whole house was open in order to let the breeze through.

Yuki yet again raised her hands to her forehead and wiped away the sweat that was beginning to drip into her eyes and down cheeks. "Hey mum?" she asked.

"Yes Yuki?"

"Can I go have a bath first, I kinda smell bad," she said, "And kinda sweaty."

"Of course sweetie. Go right ahead," Hana said upon filling a kettle up with water, "But don't take too long," she called out and watched her run across the floor to the bathroom.

Yuki closed and locked the door and filled up the large, rounded, wooden bowl that was their bath with cold water. She wasn't planning on taking too long since she was eager to catch up with her mum but she just wanted to make herself presentable again. The summer's heat wasn't good for a girl her age with her complexity.

She slipped off her clothes and climbed into the water. She let out a sigh of relief as the cold water surrounded and cooled her body. It was beautiful and she could lay in her for hours on end. Although just like the sun, long exposure to water wasn't good for one's complexion.

After a few minutes or so Yuki had soaked herself all over and washed her long, brown hair. She climbed out and grabbed a towel to dry herself off. As she was doing that she looked herself in the mirror and smiled, 'I look so much older than last time,' she thought to herself.

Once she had dried herself off she grabbed a clean pair of clothes from her room and changed into those. The clothes were just as relieving as the cold shower and she smiled gratefully at the feeling.

She walked out to the living room and sat down at the coffee table as Hana placed down two cups of tea down.

"So," she said, "How was it?"

"To be honest. It was kind of scary at first. I didn't really know what to do. I was living in an apartment all by myself and the kids at school aren't as nice as the one's in grade school," she began, "But Souhei was there too so we kept to each other for the first bit of the year. Then I made some friends and things started to get better. I felt like I belonged there, and with that my grades improved too."

"Oh? So it was alright then, huh?"

"It was definitely was interesting. But me and Souhei still keep each other company."

"That's nice of him," Hana commented, "He's always been such a nice boy."

"Don't get me wrong though, we're just…" she started to say but was cut of by a loud howl coming from the mountain. It was strong and proud, and there was a sense of honour from the very sound it produced and Hana smiled brightly, "Was that Ame?" Yuki asked curiously.

"Yes it was Yuki," she answered, "He still lives on the mountain. But he comes down to visit me every now and then."

"Oh?"

"He tells me stories of his adventures and of all the things he's learnt," she laughed lovingly, "Whenever he talks about the wild I can see that look in his eyes he had when I first took him to the Wildlife Centre."

"Do you think he'll ever come back?" Yuki asked and turned her head to look out at the lush, green mountains that protruded from the horizon.

"I don't know. It depends on what he wants," Hana replied, "As long as he comes down now and again I don't mind what he does as long as he stays safe. That's all I could ask from him."

Another loud howl swept through the surrounding countryside and echoed through the house. Yuki smirked and stood up, her heart was racing and she felt the urge to just run after him. She turned to her mum and asked, "Can I go after him?"

Hana eyed her puzzlingly, "Where would you look sweetie? The mountain's a very large and dangerous place."

"I'll follow the sound of his howls," she answered and let her body change into its half wolf, half human form. Ears sprouted from her hair and her tail popped out from under her dress, "I'm a wolf too mum. I can do it."

"I don't know Yuki. As I said it's dangerous. What if you get hurt? You only just got home."

"I won't be very long. I promise. I'll be back before dusk," she promised and ran out to the veranda as the baking sun began to warm her up again. She sniffed and the smell of all the wild plants and flowers filled her nose. It was a lovely smell that she hadn't experienced for over a year. She was glad to be back and the adrenaline of her being a wolf again excited her to the point that she leapt of onto the ground below and allowed her body to fully transform into its wolf state.

Hana ran out onto the veranda holding both cups of tea, "But Yuki!" she called out, "You didn't even touch your tea."

Yuki didn't reply. As she ran through the tall grass the sound of her paws trampling the ground at a very fast speed drowned out her mother's words.

'Finally,' she thought, 'I'm free again."

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_Thank you for reading the first chapter. Please let me know if there are any mistakes that I've failed to pick up on. If not then have a good day and I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoy writing it. Ciao._


	2. The Mountain Forest

_I do not own Wolf Children. All characters within this story belong to Mamoru Hosoda and Madhouse Studio. Please watch the original film, Wolf Children before embarking on this work of fictions._

_Be aware that this story takes place one year after the film ends during the Summer Holidays following Yuki's first year at Middle School._

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_I do not own the artwork used as the cover image. The author is from Deviant Art known as LaestusNix._

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**The Mountain  
**

Yuki ran and ran. Her four paws trampling down the tall grass down creating a path trailing from the house to the border of the enchantingly beautiful and wonderfully lush forest that her younger brother had called home for the past two years.

'I'm coming for you Ame' she thought to herself and surveyed the area, deciding the best way to climb up the mountain. She had the feeling that he would be on the summit or very close to it, but she wasn't entirely sure. Searching for him was going to be a chore and that's all she knew for sure, but this was something she actually felt like she needed to do. He never did give her a proper goodbye after all.

She noticed a small clearing through the wild fauna that looked as though it had been used as a path. She smiled to herself and without hesitation she raced towards, and up it. Following it for as long as she could. She leapt over fallen logs and climbed past any rocks in her way. The journey in its self was pretty easy so far but she still had no idea how she was going to reach the top or even if she would find Ame there.

Never the less she didn't stop running and so in time she felt her chest getting heavy and her breathing began was becoming wheezy as he throat began to become tight. When arriving beside a river she decided that this would be a good place to stop and take some time to rest in order to catch her breath and take in her surroundings in order to determine where she would head next.

She knelt down by the river's edge and drank softly from the flowing water. It was cold and fresh as it had come from the top of the mountain from a nearby waterfall that splashed the surrounding stone with slippery water, and it refreshed her after a few long gulps.

She pulled her head up and water droplets dripped from her chin fur as she went over to a shady patch under a nearby tree and laid herself down on the cooled stone. She was still breathing heavily but at least her throat wasn't dry any more.

She looked around and realised that she was out in the open. If anyone was to pass by then they would no doubt see her, not even the shadow concealed her very well. She wasn't Ame and stealth wasn't her specialty. She decided that as soon as she caught her breath that she would move to a safer spot. She didn't yet know where that somewhere was but she was thinking that she could easily hide in the thick shrubbery that surrounded the river clearing.

A twig snapped and her ears perked up. She didn't know whether it was man or animal but she didn't entirely want to stay around to find out. Without hesitation she leapt from her spot and grounded herself in a nearby bush, watching silently for any movement. That's when she heard the sounds of a conversation of two grown men.

"Where did it go?" one of the man asked.

"I don't know. I swear it was here a second ago," the other man replied, "Maybe you scared it off when you stepped on that branch!"

"Me? You're blaming me?" the first man scoffed, "You're the one blabbering your mouth all over the place. You made the most noise."

"Do you want to say that again!?" the second man grizzled, pulling a riffle off his back.

Yuki's eyes widened upon seeing the weapon and her heart began to race. They were hunters and no doubt they were looking for her. She had carelessly placed herself out in the open to rest in her wolf form and now she was paying the price for it. Through her panic she moved back a little creating an echoing crunching noise as she snapped the dead sticks and crumbled the dried leaves that made up the bush she was hiding in.

"What was that?" the second hunter said spontaneously and pointed the barrel of his gun directly at Yuki, "Good god. There it is!" he yelled triumphantly.

"The first wolf to be seen in years! Think of how much her pelt will sell for," the first man chimed in with a tone of excitement protruding from his voice, "We'll make a fortune."

Without hesitation the armed man aimed his shot at the petrified Yuki before finally firing. The gun was booming and it snapped her out of her trance, forcing her to leap from the bushes.

Although, she hadn't entirely dodged the pellet as she felt a blinding pain in her left flank. Then soon the warm and surreal feeling of her own blood began to trickle down her furs, triggering her adrenaline.

She began to dart away from the two of them at an unnatural speed. Her body managed to ignore the pain long enough for her to leap from rock to rock reaching the other side of the river. She then continued to race along the edge of the water as she disappeared from the hunter's sight.

"Quick!" she heard one of them say, "Don't let her get away," and with that another loud shot was heard. This time it missed her and merely hit the trunk of a tall tree just next to her causing splinters to fly all around.

She whimpered from the very sound of it and forced her body to run faster. She was panting loudly and her blood formed a trail behind her. No doubt they would be following that in hopes to catch and kill her.

Her heart was racing and she didn't know what to do and if she didn't think of anything now she was probably going to die.

She looked behind her and saw that the men were just in sight as they aimed another shot at her.

"Shoot it! Shoot it!" he said excitedly, "Shoot it quick before it gets away!"

"I'm trying too. It's a fast little devil!" the other man complained and fired a third shot.

The bullet whizzed past her head and caused her to jump aside. She lost her footing on the now slippery rock and helplessly fell into the river.

The pain had finally kicked in and she could no longer move her hind leg. She was trapped in the water with her agonizing leg as its currants pulled her down stream.

She closed her eyes, not daring to look at the hunters knowing that they could kill her any second now. She took in a few deep breaths, as she feared they would be her last.

'Where's Ame when you need him?' she thought to herself and partially opened one eye. Seeing that they where pointing at her and aiming yet another shot and immediately shut her eyes, pretending that they weren't there any more.

It was now that she wished she hadn't given in to her urge to leave her mother back home. She wanted to be sitting back behind the coffee table and sipping from that cup of tea. She wanted so badly to be home right now and see her smile her usual beam of joy, to just be safe and warm and happy without the worry of being killed. She wished that she had never turned into a wolf.

But alas she wasn't at home and she had transformed. She was floating down a river waiting for the two hunters to put a bullet through her brain and sell her fur for a platinum price. After all, she was a wolf.

She waited and waited. Wondering just how long the hunters where going to take. Then she finally heard it. The thundering sound of death that was so familiar to her. Was this it? Was this the end?


	3. Hello, Brother

_I do not own Wolf Children. All characters within this story belong to Mamoru Hosoda and Madhouse Studio. Please watch the original film, Wolf Children before embarking on this work of fictions._

_Be aware that this story takes place one year after the film ends during the Summer Holidays following Yuki's first year at Middle School._

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_I do not own the artwork used as the cover image. The author is from Deviant Art known as LaestusNix._

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**Hello, Brother  
**

The blast of the gun boomed across the vast clearing in the forest and echoed throughout the surrounding trees causing flocks of bird to scatter into the air. Yuki feared that this would be the end of her life. She was sure that they would prevail and that she would fall victim to their mighty bullets.

But she didn't.

Moments later she was still breathing, her heart was still beating and the flowing water still gently washed her down stream as her blood turned the river red. She opened her eyes and turned her head marginally to see the hunters stomping in annoyance.

"You missed!" One of them shouted, "How could you possibly miss that!"

"I didn't miss. The damn thing just misfired!" the other yelled in response.

"That's called a miss you nitwit!" the first man seized the rifle out of the other's hands, "Gimme that! I'll show you how to kill properly."

He aimed swiftly as Yuki was still too petrified to move. She was an easy target even if the river was carrying her away. He squinted his eyes and squeezed the trigger. Yet all that was heard was the gracious sound of an echoing click signifying her safety.

"You forgot reload it!" the second hunter howled, "This is why I don't let you shoot! You're hopeless!"

"Hopeless? I'm better than you. You look like a fool when you use this."

"At least I was able to shoot her!"

"Yeah, in the leg though. She's not dead yet."

As the two of them argued Yuki saw this as her chance to get away. It was either now or never and even though she was in severe discomfort she decided that she favoured to live rather than to wait for them to exterminate her.

Through extreme agony she pushed herself through the water, going with the currants in order to carry her faster. She may have not been able to put a whole lot of effort into her escape but she didn't need too. For as long as the two men argued she would be able to use their distraction to her advantage and wait for the river to do the rest.

The river carried her along further and further until they were no long in sight and could no longer be heard. She must have been floating for nearly an hour in all as the sun was starting to go down and the sky turned orange.

She sulked and kept her head above the water as best she could, "I'm sorry mum…" she managed to murmur. She had promised that she would be back before dark and now it seemed she wouldn't be getting back at all if she couldn't get someone to help her.

As the river went on, the currants picked up and gained speed. Causing the water zip around her helpless body and tug on her wound. She took her eyes off the horizon and looked behind her only to see the edge of a waterfall that poured gracefully off the cliff.

Yuki panicked and her adrenaline kicked in again forcing her body to swim against the water's power. There was no way she would be able to get out of this if she didn't make it to shore. After all, the waterfall had no gun to miss with and she didn't want to see just how far the fall was.

Swimming wasn't getting her anywhere, as her injured leg wasn't much use to her at the moment. She began to feel weak and tired. Her body had been through so much in just a few short hours that she had pushed herself over the limit on a number of occasions.

Her heart rate slowed down and she lost the feeling in her limbs as her eyes fell closed against her will. She had no time to stop herself from passing out before the river washed her over the edge of the waterfall. The last thing she felt was the dreamlike sensation on weightlessness as her body dropped through the air. She was conscious no more.

When Yuki's eyes finally opened again it was due to a sharp pain attacking her enflamed leg. She cringed tersely in pain and she was quick to regain focus after that.

Looking around she saw a familiar face examining her. It was a young boy, although not too much younger than her and he had unkempt hair of a deep-blue resemblance. He eyes were a darkish, dirty brown and his skin was paler than most. This was Ame, Yuki's younger brother who had abandoned his family close to two years ago.

"Ame?" she spoke softly. She was still weak and the thought of speaking loudly was obscene.

"Hush," he placed a finger on the human girl's lips, "Don't speak. You've been through a lot."

There were a million and one questions racing through her head. How did he find her? What was he doing? Did he actually care or had she just woken up at the wrong time? She wanted to ask all of these but her brother was right. She couldn't go wasting energy on satisfying her curiosity.

Instead she focused on fulfilling other aspects of her inquisitions. She brought her vision away from her brother and stared at the stars. It was night-time and by the position of the moon it was close to midnight. She must been unconscious for a few hours, and that thought easily alarmed her. She didn't know how long she had been floating in that river for. The amount of times her body could have drowned itself would have been high.

There was no doubt that Yuki wasn't meant to be out in the forest. Unlike herself as a child, she lacked the basic ability to stay out of danger even if it wasn't the safest thing to do. She had only been wandering the mountainside for a few hours now and she had nearly died an uncountable number of times.

"Yuki?" Ame spoke, snapping her out of train of thought, "Why did you come here?" he asked.

"I…" she started, "I was looking for you," she answered quietly and slightly reluctant.

"Me?" Ame sighed. He knew exactly why she would be looking for him, "I'm not going back," he said. His stubborn nature was more prominent than ever and Yuki had little to no hope of coaxing him otherwise.

"Why not!" she began to raise her voice even if she could only bring it just above a whisper. She came to see Ame and after all she had been through she wasn't going to just let him walk away again.

"Because I like it here. The mountain is fun and I can be who I want to be," he replied and a smile gently appearing on his face. He rarely ever smiled, most of the time he had a neutral or nervous expression painting him but on a rare occasion where he truly enjoyed himself he would break a smile.

Yuki didn't know what to do. Ame was truly happy living like this and she didn't want to tear him away from what made him smile. She couldn't deny that she was torn between bringing him back or letting him be.

"But don't you miss mum?" she asked curiously, trying to steer the conversation away from herself.

Upon hearing this Ame let out a gentle sigh and sat down on a rock next to Yuki. "I do, but I have to do this," he answered, "It's not like I don't like living with mum, but this life is better," he looked at her with wonder in his eyes, "Everything is so peaceful and quiet. No cars to scare away the wildlife and no human to cut everything down."

"But…" Yuki started but was soon silenced by Ame who kept on talking.

"This is what I want Yuki. You want to be a human and that's fine. But I want to be like the wolf I am," he paused and took in a deep breath before saying, "Is that just too much to ask?"

Yuki was shocked to say the least. She hadn't though of any of this. She had just assumed that Ame had run away to live alone in the forest. She never considered that this was the life he truly wanted that he would be content with living like this for as long as he loved.

"But Ame. You're just a kid," Yuki stated in a final attempt to persuade him, "Wouldn't it be better if you just waited a few more years to grow up and understand your responsibilities?"

"I already know what I have to do Yuki. I have to keep the forest safe."

"But you're barely eleven years old Ame and you don't have a muscle on you."

"I'm an adult Yuki," he eyed her, "I may be young and weak as a human but I'm strong and proud as a wolf."

Yuki sighed and looked away, "I guess I just don't understand then," she admitted and stared up at the night sky. The night was clear and the stars shone brightly, illuminating the entire sky. The only thing obstructing her view was the plentiful amount of trees that surrounded them.

Ame slouched down and he two stared up at the stars next to his older sister. "Beautiful isn't it?" he asked.

"We don't get views like this in the city. Too much light," Yuki answered softly.

"This is what I go to sleep with every night. The twinkling of the stars is like a lullaby that helps me drift off to sleep," he spoke in a wondrous tone, "You should try t it."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yuki asked curiously. Taking her eyes away from the darkened sky and back to Ame, "I won't be able to see the stars when my eyes are closed," she laughed.

"Just close your eyes and play the memory over in your head."

"Okay," Yuki said a little nervously and tried it out. She stared up again and took in as much of the sky as possible before closing her eyes and replaying the blinking of the lights over and over in head. Ame was right. It was relaxing. Not only that but it also calmed her and clouded the pain that irritated her leg. Within moments she fell asleep and her head drifted softly to the side.

"Goodnight sister," Ame said tranquilly and smiled faintly while he too laid back and closed his eyes.


	4. Pack Love

_I do not own Wolf Children. All characters within this story belong to Mamoru Hosoda and Madhouse Studio. Please watch the original film, Wolf Children before embarking on this work of fictions._

_Be aware that this story takes place one year after the film ends during the Summer Holidays following Yuki's first year at Middle School._

_This Chapter is from Ame's Perspective._

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_I do not own the artwork used as the cover image. The author is from Deviant Art known as LaestusNix._

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**Pack Love  
**

When the morning sun poked over the mountain and peered through the trees its bright, orange glow shone through the canopy of leaves and woke young Ame. He yawned and glanced to his side to see his sister still fast asleep, resting silently. There was a certain serenity about the morning. Everything was quiet and tranquil, the birds chirped far away and the wild predators had not awoken yet.

With a wondrous smile and a morning full of opportunity he quickly hopped up and took a few short steps towards the surrounding fauna before he looked back at her slumbering sister, "I'll be back soon Yuki," he said and broke into a run.

He leapt over a log and allowed his body to change into its natural and prominent form of a wolf. His fur puffed out from his skin and his eyed turned from brown to yellow. His ears popped out from his hair and his tail flew behind him as he sped through the trees.

Ame was making a beeline for the river. He wanted to scout out the area in case any hunters happened to be nearby. He needed to be sure that it was safe enough to bring Yuki along. With a leg like hers she would no doubt be useless in the face of danger.

He sighed as he realised he was going to have to take care of her until she was well enough to head back home.

Once he reached the clearing where he had found her, he neither heard nor saw any unfamiliar sighs or sounds. Everything was as normal, if not a little quieter than usual. This was good.

He knelt down by the river's edge and dropped his head down to take a drink. Gulping heavily and swallowing large amounts of water at a time, he was thirsty this morning. Probably because he had to haul Yuki's limp body from the river to a safer location to get her away from the hunters that he had to scare away the previous day.

After he had finished drinking he pulled his head up from the fresh water and let the droplets drip from his muzzle. He took one more look around before he leapt back into the forest.

He did not run now, instead he held his nose to the ground and he sniffed the dirt, bushes and trees. He was tracking something and by the smell of it, it was a rabbit. He quickly pulled his head up and looked forward breaking into a sprint as he chased after the scent. His senses were acute due to all his training with sensei, and when the old fox passed away his hunting was better than most animal's throughout the mountainside.

He ran and ran. Not even having broke a sweat when the poor prey came into view. By the time Ame saw it he knew that the critter was already at its end. He pounced on it with vigour and sunk his teeth deep into the flesh of the quickly dead animal. Blood oozed from his mouth and softly dripped onto the ground.

Ame smiled as the carcass hung limp in his grasp. It was meaty and was once a strong animal. This was going to be for Yuki and although she may not want to eat it raw she was going to have to.

Knowing that he was caring for Yuki filled him with pride. It was like he had a pack to care for, even though this pack consisted over only Yuki and himself, it still felt like he was caring of a family of his own. He had responsibilities, but this made him feel important and mature. A feeling he hadn't felt since the day he ran away, and this made his heart glow.

Without any further hesitation he broke into a run again. This time he was heading back to Yuki. He didn't want to stay away from her for too long in case she woke up and thought he had abandoned her. When in a state like she was he couldn't afford to leave her be or put her under too much stress.

By the time he had gotten back Yuki was already awake, but it seemed as though she had only just awoken, as suggested by her rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"Morning Ame," she said to the wolf boy weakly and only half noticing the dead rabbit hanging from his bloody mouth, "Don't tell me _that's_ for breakfast."

Ame simply dropped it in front of her and diverted from his wolf form back into his less-preferred human form, "It is," he replied ever so simply, "It happens to be a specialty of mine," Ame joked and laughed a little to himself.

"I wouldn't call raw rabbit a specialty," Yuki replied with a yawn as her body was now starting to wake up. She looked at the rabbit again and noticed the large, gaping bite wound in its side. On closer inspection is seemed that a bit of it's intestines were beginning to spill out, causing Yuki to just about puke.

"Can you at least cook it or something?" Yuki offered and held her hand over her mouth.

"Oh come on Yuki it's not that bad. I eat this every day," he said and pushed it closer to the repulsed girl, "If it helps I can cut it up for you?"

"Uhh no… Its disgusting enough as it is," she gulped and changed into her wolf form in hopes that she would be able to stomach it. Continuously staring at the lifeless rabbit before her and cautiously leaning down to it. This was going to be her first time eating a raw animal, not even as a child did she ever kill one let alone eat it.

She took in a deep breath and grabbed it with her mouth, digging her fangs into the flesh and receiving a mouthful of blood. As she bit down the carcass split into two, the bottom half flopping to the forest floor while the top half remained in Yuki's disturbed grasp. She placed her paws on the bit she held and tugged hard on it, ripping the poor critter into even small pieces.

Yuki tried not to look at the repulsing mess she was making as she began to chew on the small pieces that she had made. Once she was finished with the top half she grabbed the bottom half and tore that into smaller pieces too. This only caused more blood to splatter across her face and ground. She felt like a murderer with all this red painting the area.

It wasn't long before she had devoured her hunted meal and finished it off with a loud and unlady-like burp.

Ame laughed, "You're not going to finish the rest?" he asked pointing to the splattered organs across the ground and slowly allowing his body to grow furry.

Yuki shuddered and looked away, "I sure. I am not touching those," she replied firmly, shaking her head and revolving aback to her human state.

"More of me then," he replied and without reluctance he stooped down to gobble up the appetizing remains left behind by Yuki's poor eating skills. He looked up with blood all around his mouth, painting his lips a deep crimson, "You have to learn to eat properly Yuki."

"I don't want too," she replied and looked at him devour the remaining rabbit.

"It really wasn't that bad," he spoke once finishing off the organs and wiping away the blood around his muzzle, "I don't know what you were complaining about."

Yuki sighed deeply, "I suppose humans just aren't mean to eat like savages," she replied even with blood and pieces of meat stuck in her teeth. She was slightly annoyed that Ame forced her to eat like that and if she were given the choice she would never do it again. Although she had the feeling that he would be feeding her for the next few days.

Ame smiled and stood up, diverting to his human form once more, "Now," he said and grabbed some wild leaves from a nearby bush, "Time to take care of that wound of yours…"


	5. Road to Recovery

_I do not own Wolf Children. All characters within this story belong to Mamoru Hosoda and Madhouse Studio. Please watch the original film, Wolf Children before embarking on this work of fictions._

_Be aware that this story takes place one year after the film ends during the Summer Holidays following Yuki's first year at Middle School._

* * *

_I do not own the artwork used as the cover image. The author is from Deviant Art known as LaestusNix._

_ art/Wolf-children-359872935_

* * *

**Road to Recovery  
**

Yuki's leg twitched in pain and the sound of a minute whine escaped her mouth as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Now that her body had completely woken, the pain receptors in her flank were much more sensitive and the wounded flesh began to heat up and swell in pain.

She looked up to at Ame and observed the leaves he held tightly curiously, "What are you going to do with those?" she asked as her leg twitched again.

"I don't have any bandages but we can't leave a wound like that unwrapped. It'll be a miracle if it isn't infected already," he enlightened and approached her, going behind her and examining her wound as he did yesterday, "But so far it doesn't seem to have gotten worse since I found you."

"Wait so you're going to use leaves as bandages? Wouldn't that just make my leg even worse? Leaves aren't exactly the cleanest thing you know," she inquired cautiously and slowly straighten her hind leg for him.

"Trust me Yuki. The sap from these will sooth any infection or sudden pain swells," he explained calmly and knelt down beside her, slowly wrapping the leaves around her leg making sure they overlap for additional protection. Once he had covered it up he grabbed a thin yet sturdy vine and tied it around the coverings to keep them in place, "There. It's not the best but it'll do for now."

Yuki looked at the bandaging and smiled a little, "Thanks Ame," she acknowledged and turned her gaze towards the boy, "Do you think we should go back to mum?"

Ame shook his head and knelt down beside her, "No. You won't be able to make the trip and I can't afford you getting hurt even more," he explained silently and softly pet her back, "I'm sorry but it's not worth the risk."

"Can't you just carry me or something?" she suggested with a hopeful tone eminent in her voice. She didn't want Hana to worry any more about her. She had promised to be back before sunset and she was already an entire night late. Who knows what her mother must be thinking now who how distraught she may be having lost two children to the amazements of forest.

Again, Ame shook his head and rested it on his hands, "I'm not that strong Yuki. I may be able to hunt animals but I can't carry another person. I haven't been human enough to get that strong."

Yuki frowned and slouched her head into the warming comfort of her paws, "I'm sorry mum," she said softly to herself, "I didn't mean for this to happen," she understood why Ame wouldn't let her go back home but that didn't mean she liked it. However there was nothing more that could be done. All she was able to do was innocently pout and hope that her leg healed swiftly.

Over the next few days the same similar thing continuously reoccurred over and over again. The same boring routine that Ame followed to keep Yuki alive, healthy and safe.

Every morning he would wake up at the break of dawn to the blinding light of the rising sun piercing his eyes, and hunt for something small such as a rabbit or squirrel. He would then bring it back to her and force Yuki to eat it. She never did get used to it but she did grow more tolerable to the idea. Once she had devoured her morning meal he would always change her leaves and check to see if the wound was still clean or needed extra attention. Usually though it was the former opposed to the latter.

After a few days of this ongoing, repetitive routine he decided to one day take her down to the river's edge to get a drink on her own without him having to bring water back to her. He also used this time to wash out any sap or other undesirable materials that had seeped into the hole in her flank.

Luckily the river's water was soothing and since Yuki wasn't experiencing raging agony any more she was actually able to enjoy the serenity of the soft currants that wet her fur and washed past her healing wound, cleaning out any rogue pieces of dirt or other filth that could hinder the recovery that Ame could clean out on his own.

This happened again and again every few days and only ever if the beating sun was too unbearable for them to handle without a proper cooling down. They weren't going to risk Yuki injuring herself by travelling every day when she didn't need too. It was just safer for her to stay put and let Ame do the rest until she was in perfect health once more.

But it wasn't too much longer until she was fit to travel on her own. It had taken weeks but Yuki's hind leg had healed to a point where she could walk and put pressure on it. It was joyful day and to celebrate such a triumphant occasion Ame decided to take Yuki to the top of the mountain. A place that he considered to be special as he had claimed that to be his domain. Yet he was wanted her to see the beautiful view he had indulged himself with for everyday before she came along.

The path up was steep and at many points they were forced to climb. Although since Yuki wasn't entirely better she had to move with caution and take the long way around, to ensure she didn't injure herself further. Despite her disability she managed to prevail over the mountain perils path and by sunset she had reached the summit.

She could see the entire forest from here. Not only that but she also had a view of the valley, the countryside and the village. She could see the river that she fell in on her first day she got back and she could see all the roads that she travelled by. It was beautiful and the lights from all the houses flickered on to illuminate the eventual night that was marked by the rising of the moon.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Ame asked standing on the peek next to her awestruck sister.

"Yeah," was also she could answer with as her eyes slowly drifted across the scenery set before her.

"You can see the entire countryside from here," he said, "And over there you can see the nature conservation centre where mum works," he pointed over to a far-off building close to the edge of an adjacent forest to the mountain. It was probably the only man-made structure that he actually cared about apart from his old home.

The immediate mention of their mum swelled conflicting emotions throughout Yuki. Emotions such as sadness, regret and anger. She longed to see her again but didn't know if Ame would let her. After all she was still recovering and not in full condition to make the journey.

"Do you think she's looking for me?" Yuki asked and turned to Ame, staring into his eyes, desiring an answer.

Ame shrugged, "Dunno," he answered simply. He tried not to trifle himself with such matters since he ran away, emotions like the ones Yuki was experiencing would only distract him from duty of protecting the forest, "Don't you think she would have found you by now if she was looking?"

Yuki didn't reply. She refused to believe that her mum hadn't looked for her. She knew that she had wrongfully run off and gotten herself hurt despite the promise she made, but surely Hana was worried enough to go looking.

Noticing her discomfort Ame spoke up again, "But there's always the chance she _is_ still looking," he said, changing back into his human form and placing a hand on her back, "The forest is a big place you know and searching for a singular girl is fruitless."

Yuki sighed and looked back down towards the valley, focusing on a singular house bordering the mountain's forest, "Do you think I should head back now?" she suggested, "I can do it you know. My leg is good enough for me to make it back."

Ame shook his head, "No," he replied firmly, "It's true you've gotten better but you can't risk it. I'm not letting weeks of healing be for nothing if you do something careless or even stupid."

"But I can do it Ame!" she retorted loudly, "I got myself up here didn't I? Surely I can make it down there. It's not very far,"

"I said no!" Ame countered powerfully and stood up, "I don't care if you think you can make it, I know you won't be able too without running into some sort of trouble. This place isn't exactly the epitome of safety," he scolded, "You've experienced that for yourself."

Yuki took this hard and her ears flopped down, "I'm sorry Ame," she whimpered, "I didn't mean to be a burden. I just wanted to find you,"

Ame rolled his eyes, "Well you found me and you got yourself shot in the process," he growled, "So if you want to get home safely you need to listen to what I say so you don't go hurting yourself. When you're ready I will take you home."

"Okay…" she said softly and repeated her apology once more, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Ame responded, "It isn't your fault," he rubbed her back again and looked up at the newly appearing stars, "Did you want to sleep up here?"

Yuki nodded faintly and couldn't take her eyes off the country house that sat at the bottom of the mountain. It was her mum's house and she could see that the lights had been turned off. She was so close to home yet she had been pulled back by her brother's reality. She sighed gently to herself and looked aside towards her brother, "Yeah," she said, "Here will be fine," it was the closest she would get to be at home. Hopefully she would only have to wait just a few more days.

As the moon poked out from behind the clouds Ame's instincts forced him to howl loudly and with that he rested himself against the cool stone on the summer's night, watching his sister sleep soundly only a few feet away, "Goodnight Yuki," he whispered and closed his eyes peacefully.

That night, Yuki dreamt of only her mother and images of her beaming smile and loving embrace filled her mind. She longed to see her again and memories of her childhood flashed before her. It was calming to see her mother's face once more and the reality of how much time had actually passed since last laying eyes on her scared her. Never the less Ame's wishes came true for her as she had experiences her first good night in a long while.

When she woke up she was greeted by an unrecognisable man, "Good morning Miss Yuki. Sleep well?" asked the towering, shadowy figure that neither looked nor sounded her little brother Ame of whom had awoken her for weeks on end. So if not for him, who was it that stood menacingly over her on such a peaceful and fine morning.


	6. Howling at Dawn

_I do not own Wolf Children. All characters within this story belong to Mamoru Hosoda and Madhouse Studio. Please watch the original film, Wolf Children before embarking on this work of fictions._

_Be aware that this story takes place one year after the film ends during the Summer Holidays following Yuki's first year at Middle School._

* * *

_I apologise for making you guys wait for so long for such a short chapter but I have unfortunetely been very busy over the past few weeks and have not been able to write as often as wanted.  
_

* * *

_I do not own the artwork used as the cover image. The author is from Deviant Art known as LaestusNix._

_ art/Wolf-children-359872935_

* * *

**Howling at Dawn  
**

As Yuki's focus slowly returned to her the man that stood before her grew more and more unfamiliar with each passing moment. However now that shadowy silhouette revealed himself to be wearing a black, colonial suit with a blood red tie complemented by a plain white shirt and dress shoes of that matched the darkness of his suit. Now he was completely unrecognisable to the point where Yuki's mind classified him as a total stranger.

"Who are you?" she weakly inquired upon letting out a rather large, morning yawn allowing her body to slowly wake itself up.

"I don't think that is the question that needs to be asked," the man replied firmly and crossed his arms as he eyed the girl up and down before continuing with, "The question is… what are you?"

This puzzled Yuki to the point she actually began to fill with shock. 'What does he mean?' she thought to herself curiously. As she rubbed her ears with her paws she slowly came to a stark realisation that caused her heart to skip a beat before sinking to the bottom pits of her stomach. She was still in wolf form and he understood every word she had said. After all wolves don't speak.

She gulped and let the fear overwhelm her as she sat the petrified, too scared to move in case the imposing man tried anything threatening. What scared her even further was that she didn't know if Ame was awake or even if he was anywhere nearby so she couldn't rely on him to protect her as he usually would.

"I won't ask you again Yuki. What are you?" the man threatened sternly but oddly in a soothing tone of which washed over her like a soft breeze. He was losing his patience and Yuki could tell that he was someone who she didn't want to mess with.

However she didn't immediately reply as her body was still coming to terms with this unfolding scenario. She was like a super hero in the sense that she had to keep her identity a secret, but she had let it slip so easily due to her carelessness and now she was paying the price. There was no way that she was going to get out of this situation easily, she was going to have to either trick her way out or force it. The only problem was that she didn't want to cause any further trouble for herself this early in the morning so she replied with the first thing that popped into her mind, which was arguably not the greatest thing she's ever said, "I am a human," she slipped out simply and to match up her words she allowed her body to follow up and transform into her vulnerable human form.

"You know Yuki, I've heard better lies from a rock," the man stated bluntly and uncrossed his arms only to crack his knuckles, "Now this is how it's going to work. You're coming with me and you're not gong to put up a fight. Got it!"

Yuki gulped and began to panic. Her breathing hastened as the man approached and once again her adrenaline rose, body reverting back to a wolf, her teeth and claws exposed, "Stay back," she warned, "I… I will kill you!"

"Your stuttering says otherwise," the man identified with an unamused expression planted on his pale face. He stood over the young panicking girl who was desperate to get away but too scared to try anything, "Now are you going to come quietly or am I going to have to hurt you?" he loomed and raised an eyebrow.

Yuki could see by his expression that he meant it and since he was so much taller and stronger than she was he would have no problem in stopped her if she tried anything. However she wouldn't just give herself up to this strange man who wanted to take her, there was no way she would give him such pleasure.

She shook her head defiantly at the man and within a heartbeat's notice she took off along the small stream that parted the summit's halves. There wasn't a whole lot of room to run but she hoped that she would be able to get away and find Ame who was still nowhere in sight.

"Ame!" she cried out, "Ame help me!"

Her heart was racing once more, even more so than when she encountered the hunters a few weeks ago. This time she wasn't injured and the adrenaline pumping through her carried her faster and further than before.

However the man did not give her the chance to get very far because within moments of her fruitless escape she he had halted her by lunging himself onto her and tackled her to the ground.

"I told you not to make this difficult!" he growled and pinned her to the cold, hard stone with merely the weight of his body.

Yuki grumbled under her breath and attempted desperately to wriggle free of his daring hold. With her agile nature as a wolf she believed that she would easily be able to crawl away from the man, but she was proven wrong and forced the lay helpless under the weight of her attacker.

"Get off me," she cried aloud and growled furiously at him, "You'll pay for this!"

The man just simply laughed and placed his hand in his pocket. Yuki could see the shuffling as he was looking for something, "You can't do anything to me wolf," he smirked and his hand emerged from his pocket holding what looked to be a dart, "Now if your smart you'll hold still so this doesn't hurt any more than it should."

Yuki eyed the dart in both horror and anticipation as the man slowly moved it over her body. She didn't know what to expect, as she was clueless to the purpose of the dart. Never the less she was dreading the imminent stab into her flesh but more so she hated the wait of the prominent threat.

The man was drawing the experience out longer and she could see the insanity on the man's face and the evil within his eyes as he caressed the tip along the lines of her fur until he reached the length of her spine. He stopped to look at Yuki's horrified face and only to add to the fear he gave her a grimacing smirk of enjoyment as he pierced the dart deep into her flesh.

The young girl let out a crying whimper as the innards of the dart emptied out and she could feel the fluids expand throughout her spinal column. She didn't know whether it was the surreal feeling of a foreign fluid that had penetrated her or if it was the liquid itself that made her weak, but within moments she had passed out.

Her last thought before she blacked out was nothing but curiosity of where he was going to take her and what he wanted her for… then nothing.

* * *

_So this chapter took an unexpected dark and Gothic turn, I hope that's okay with everyone? But I won't lie, I had a great time writing this! ^.^_


	7. Kyoko Monosha

_I do not own Wolf Children. All characters within this story belong to Mamoru Hosoda and Madhouse Studio. Please watch the original film, Wolf Children before embarking on this work of fictions._

_Be aware that this story takes place one year after the film ends during the Summer Holidays following Yuki's first year at Middle School._

* * *

_I do not own the artwork used as the cover image. The author is from Deviant Art known as LaestusNix._

_ art/Wolf-children-359872935_

* * *

**Kyoko Monosha  
**

She wore a long, black coat of which draped down past her knees and opened at the front to expose her formal, buttoned-up, white shirt. Her brown hair neatly parted at the front and ended down her back in a long, luscious ponytail. Her pail skin dotted with freckles that made her emerald eyes stand out against the monochrome colours of her attire. To our two protagonists she was but only a stranger, but to the major populace to Tokyo she was a well-known, notorious special agent of who handled… rare occurrences. Her name was Kyoko Monosha.

Monosha lead a special tasks force that went by name shrouded in mystery, as no one knew. The purpose of this task force was to extract, research or eliminate anything or anyone against the norms or reality. This included the half wolf – half human abnormals known Ame and Yuki of whom they had captured this fine and victorious morning.

"Feeling well kids?" she spoke ecstatically, poking her head through the bars of the cell that she had locked them away in. Her glasses flickered in the light as the setting sun raked through the small corner window decorating the top left of the bland stonewall of which surrounded them.

Ame said nothing, but instead he let out a low, aggressive growl as his eyes flashed yellow. He showed no emotion but how pissed he was. His hands had been shackled behind his back with a small chain leading from his cuffs to the wall. He was helpless and for the first time in his life. He wasn't free to do what he wished. He was at the whim of a crazy lady and this tore him down.

To his left, sat Yuki who was depressingly in the same position as she was. He couldn't deny that he was definitely conflicted about what was happening. It pained him to see his sister in such a helpless state, but more so it tortured him to not be able to her in any way. With that he turned back to their captor and eyed her down, "What do you want with us?"

Kyoko did nothing but giggle before blatantly answering the young boy's inquiry, "We merely want to research you," she smiled, "You're quite interesting you know, not everybody possesses the ability to transform into a different species at will."

Ame couldn't deny that he expected this but what forced shock to spread fear throughout his juvenile body was that he had not the slightest clue how they found out. Their uniqueness was always kept a secret from anyone for years and years, no one knew. This curiosity swelled throughout him until he couldn't take any more mystery and he lunged forward despite the shackles holding him back.

"How do you know about that?!" demanded Ame as his voice became croaky from his grinding anger. He wild eyes piercing right through the guard of Kyoko and struck some form of fear in her as she jumped back from the bars.

However Kyoko didn't express her fear of him like most people would by screamed and running away. Instead she only further displayed her insanity by laughing uncontrollably at him and his question, "Now why would I tell you that dear Ame? That's my little secret and the cause of my success," she answered him and stared at him with unflinching eyes, "And I must say that you look precious when angry – Maybe I'll induce that for you?"

Ame did nothing but grit his teeth and tear his glare away from the hysterical figure before him only to be met with the look of distraught from his older sister. His heart sunk upon seeing this and he muttered only his next few words, "I'm sorry Yuki…" he sulked.

Yuki merely shook her head and looked down to the bare stone that they called flooring, "No Ame," she disagreed sorrowfully, "It's my fault. I couldn't fight them off. I got caught even though I was given plenty of chances to run off and warn you," tears began to swell in her eyes as she admitted the truth to his riddled brother, "I made a mistake and now here we are…" the moment she finished explaining her story she allowed herself to break down into tears and choke on her sorrow.

Ame wanted to comfort her, despite what she had said. He didn't believe a word of it and refused the think that this was all her fault. After all such a catastrophe couldn't be limited to one single cause – he had lived in the forest long enough to figure that out.

He sighed and looked at the troubled Yuki and said, "It's not your fault. I can't have been your fault. I'm the one who left you there," he shifted the blame onto himself in order to comfort her, "I wasn't there to protect you and I let my guard down. You only just got better, you can't be expected to fight every battle on your own."

Yuki opened her mouth but then immediately paused to think of the best thing to say, knowing that a situation like this could make or break a carefully built bond.

She sighed deeply and tried to hide her face in her long black hair and disregarded everything that Ame had said to her by simply replying to him with, "I'm sorry…"

"Okay," he said. He figured it would be futile to try and convince her right now, he knew that she was stubborn and that nothing would change her mind or stray her opinion.

Behind the bars of the cell Kyoko stood there, watching the too make amends and come to terms with what was happening. She grinned and found amusement in their words, as she turned to another man adjacent to her, "Prepare the testing chamber," she said crudely and took her leave.

Miss Monosha was heading to the previously mentioned testing chamber to oversee the upcoming research. She sat down with a cup of coffee and stared out the large windows giving her vision into the chamber. She waited.

When the two children were finally brought into the room she perked up and changed from slouching to uptight and brushed her fringe out of her face. They were escorted in by two taller suited men similar to the one who jad managed to kidnap them. Once in the large, empty room of which was painted white then they were placed in the centre of the room. Kyoko reached for a pen and clip board as she paid close attention to their actions. She smirked mischievously at the thought of the 'tests' she had put together, and relished in the expectancy of their eventual screams.

With that in the forefront of her mind she leaned forward and spoke clearly into a microphone, projecting her voice into the chamber below.

"First thing's first we need to confirm that our information about your 'gift' is true – demonstrate you're abilities to use," she ordered with a stern tone and sat back to watch the show.

An intrigued smile of satisfaction formed and her crystal eyes widened in gratification as the two children demonstrated their transformation before them. "Wonderful," she bellowed, "Absolutely wonderful," she began to clap and leaned forward to speak to them once more, "You two really are the pinnacle of biological research this country can accomplish."

With that she began to eagerly write down every little detail, from the sharpened teeth to the patterns of their fur and even the change of eye colour. Everything was important to her and every detail was to be further investigated in future tests. She leaned forward once again and articulated clearly into the chamber, "Now we would like to witness your hunting capabilities,"

She proceeded to press a button that initiated the turning of gogs as the back wall of the camber began to be pulled up in order to reveal a large forested habitat for the two.

Ame scoured the environment with only his eyes, knowing that the entirety of the environment was quite obviously was fake as plants needed sunlight to live, and there was no such thing in this room. Ame then turned back to Yuki whose face was expressionless now, either she was trying to hide all her emotions or she was just trying to get through this. It was probably both but no matter how you put it she would need to be comforted, and that was a luxury that had been mercilessly denied them.

His though process was interrupted when the brutalising speech of Kyoko spoke once more, "There are two rabbits in that collection of trees before you, one for each of you. You have to both successfully hunt one rabbit each and bring it out for us to see," she spoke with her firm voice she had demonstrated a few times already, "You may begin when ready."

Like two willing slaves the two wolf children charged into the forest, leaping over roots and weaving through the foliage. Naturally Ame was more skilled at this as he had had two years of experience when it came to hunting and tracking animals. There was no doubt that he was going to get to the rabbit first, but he was strongly considering hunting for Yuki as well and giving her the rabbit.

He stopped, this habitat was bigger than he expected and his eyes weren't going to help him out too much. He placed his head down and began to sniff the flooring as he walked in any direction his could. Within moments his caught a scent and bolted towards it with nothing to block him from his path and the moment the white critter came into view he pounced and sunk his teeth deep into it's flesh, causing blood to drip from the newly dead carcass.

The moment his turned around he saw the second rabbit and Yuki was nowhere in sight. If he were to strike it down then now would be his best chance. He held the previous rabbit in his mouth as he crept up on the second one by hiding in the foliage of the bushes and rocks. He grinned and when the moment arose he pounced up it. But instead of sinking his teeth into it he simply claws it to death and dragged it behind him as he searched for his sister.

He had taken the lives of both the prey and trusted that his instincts had guided him well. He hauled the game until he found Yuki and dropped one rabbit in front of her, "I did the work for you, just return it and say you did it."

Yuki simply nodded and picked up the rabbit with her mouth as she walked with her brother back to the test chamber. If only this was an actual forest then they would be able to run away from this nightmare and live a good life again. But this past month had gone from bad to worse for her. She was started to wonder if spending her holiday by coming back to the countryside was such a good idea. So far it had lead to nothing but trouble for her. Never the less she was here now and she might as well just do what she's told until the moment arises for them leave, whether it would be escaping or being released she was willing to be patient until then.

She looked back to Ame. She trusted that he would try his hardest to keep her safe the best he could as he had done for weeks now. She decided that she would do the same, after all she was hi Onii-chan.

Once arriving back in the testing chamber the two of them dropped the dead rabbits and reverted back from their wolf form to the recognisable human form. And glared up at the window that Kyoko hid behind. The glass was tinted so no one could see through it and the crazy lady spoke again, this time she seemed aggravated.

"How dare you interfere with the testing process Ame!" she scowled, "I specifically told you that you were supposed to kill a rabbit each. Instead you disobeyed this order and decided to be greedy, for that you will need to be punished," he voice was bitter cold and her threat pierced right through him, "You will pay for your defiance… juvenile wolf!"


	8. Insignificance of the Little Burden

_I do not own Wolf Children. All characters within this story belong to Mamoru Hosoda and Madhouse Studio. Please watch the original film, Wolf Children before embarking on this work of fictions._

_Be aware that this story takes place one year after the film ends during the Summer Holidays following Yuki's first year at Middle School._

* * *

_I do not own the artwork used as the cover image. The author is from Deviant Art known as LaestusNix._

_ art/Wolf-children-359872935_

* * *

**Insignificance of the Little Burden**

Ame took a step back and ground his teeth together allowing the blood from his slain prey colour the white. He dared not show his true emotions of limitation to Kyoko but instead he stood strong and attempted to weaken her moral with sheer resolution. But when two suited men marched through the doors and grabbed him by either arm his defiance shattered. Without hesitation they pulled, dragging him along the tiled floor out of the chamber and out of sight.

Yuki watched helplessly as she stood the willingly. Her brother was being taken away from her and all she could do was stand in shock. It was no secret that she was broken but this tore her mind apart as she knew she could have saved him, even if it involved her being taken away in his place.

Upon hearing the door slam shut once more she was snapped out of her shock that rendered her a useless burden and came to the realisation that she had let her brother get taken away. It dawned on her that whatever was to happen would ultimately be her fault and that she was prepared to take that responsibility.

"Miss Yuki," spoke Kyoko's confident and cold voice, "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

She was yet again snapped back into reality by this sudden burst of sound and the woman's words swirled around in her head before finally sinking in, "Anything to say for myself…?" she repeated in a hushed tone, confused as to what she meant as her brain hadn't fully comprehended the meaning behind her speech.

"Yes. Can you explain why Ame stole your kill?" she explained and continued to speak, "Answer carefully now, your words could be the difference between life or death for you little brother."

Yuki gulped and suddenly a massive weight was plunged onto her shoulders. She loved her brother and she was being the worst sister ever. Had she not frozen still then perhaps she could have saved him – but that time had passed and now she had to answer for her lack of participation and create a lie to save Ame.

"I… I was too slow," she answered and looked up at the tinted windows above her, "I've just recovered from being shot. So I haven't been able to hunt for myself and I'm extremely out of practice," she gulped and hoped that her explanation would satisfy her kidnapper and spare Ame's life.

"So?" Kyoko replied with simply, "That doesn't explain why he did you're job for you. You were being tested on your ability to hunt as wolves. If you couldn't do it then we record that."

"But he's been hunting for me for the past three weeks, its instinct for him. He hunts for me…" she answered desperately, "Please don't hurt him! He was just trying to help!" she pleaded frenziedly as her breathing hastened and her eyes stared wide upon the overlooking window.

There was only silence as a response and Yuki stook there without a word spoken from Kyoko. She stood there in anticipation of what was going to happen, but as she waited there was still no word. Silence was still eminent throughout the bleak testing chamber and Yuki wondered if they were even going to respond to her plea at all.

It was then that thoughts of what she was about to put Ame through filled her mind. It made her cringe and she shivered at the fact that through her ignorance she had lead her brother to suffer at the hands of these strangers.

"Well?" Yuki spoke once more, breaking the piercing silence and forced her words to echo throughout the room, "Are you going to hurt him?"

Again there was nothing but silence and Yuki was wondering if they were even there at all. Perhaps they had left and she didn't know – that was when the voice of Kyoko finally spoke once more, "Yes," she answered simply and spoke no more.

Yuki felt her knees weaken upon hearing this and within mere moments she collapsed to all fours, burying her face in her hands and hobbling in grief. If anything was to happen to him it would ultimately be her fault, there was no arguing that.

Tears streamed down her innocent face and soon she was nothing but a mess needing to cleaned away. It was then that Kyoko sent in another suited man who grabbed Yuki and dragged her out as they had done with Ame. Once the double doors had slammed closed she was to be seen no more – not until Kyoko decided to visit her in her encapsulating cell.

She had been chained up once more with her hands shackled behind her back as she stared at the grimacing lady who would most definitely fill her nightmare. However, the young girl cared for nothing other than the safety and whereabouts of her little brother, such was nature of her being an Onii-chan.

"Where is he?" she demanded and her rebellious characteristics were now a prominent part of her addressing Kyoko. She now had absolutely no respect for the cynical ways of the insane women.

Kyoko said nothing but let off a grimacing smirk as she stepped to side and allowed Ame to stumble past her. His face had been bloodied and his body had been weakened. He groaned bleakly in pain, as the woman kicked her him into the cell, not bothering to have him chained, "He was boring," she exclaimed and walked away.

Ame lay on the cold hard ground as blood spilled from his swollen nose and his vision became blurred from his blackened eyes. He picked himself up and sat cross-legged with his head hung low. "Don't look at me Yuki, I'm a mess…" he said miserably.

Yuki's heart sunk and she lunged forward to wrap her youthful arms around the sorry sight, "It's alright Ame," she comforted, "You'll be okay, "She pulled away and gave him a beaming smile of nothing but love, "I'm here now so don't you worry."

"Yuki…?" he groaned.

"You've done so much for me, what kind of Onii-chan would I be if I didn't help you."

Upon hearing this Ame smiled and his bruised mouth flashed two rows of crimson stained teeth, "Thank you Yuki."


	9. Crimson Flowers

_I do not own Wolf Children. All characters within this story belong to Mamoru Hosoda and Madhouse Studio. Please watch the original film, Wolf Children before embarking on this work of fictions._

_Be aware that this story takes place one year after the film ends during the Summer Holidays following Yuki's first year at Middle School._

* * *

_Be Weary! This chapter is a long one!_

* * *

_I do not own the artwork used as the cover image. The author is from Deviant Art known as LaestusNix._

_ art/Wolf-children-359872935_

* * *

**Crimson Flowers**

Yuki held her broken brother close, caressing his deep blue hair as she beamed nothing more than a motherly smile at him. He was shaking. He was crying. He was broken. Ame was not himself and this was state of which Yuki had never before seen him in and never wanted to. Not even when he was merely a scared little boy growing up in the countryside did he act like this. He was beyond his usual self and this is what distraught Yuki the most.

Yet, she focused on nothing but his accelerated breathing and passively let him cry upon her shoulder. She was his Onii-chan and she needed to be there for him. They were in this together and they needed to act like it. Ame had sacrificed his own safety in order for her to succeed, this was least she could do for him and she would gladly do it.

It was now that she pledged to keep him safe no matter what. There was no way she would let him endanger himself for her sake. That was not his duty. His duty was the guard to forest against any threats and to protect the defenseless critters of which call the area their home, but he could not do this if he was no longer standing... or breathing in that manner.

"Yuki?" Ame groaned and lifted his poor head off his sister's tear-soaked shoulder.

She looked down to meet her eyes with his before opening her mouth to greet the words of the broken boy, "Yes Ame?" she asked softly.

"I'm sorry I scared you," he said. His words were choked away by the sounds of his sobs but the evident apologetic tone was all to clear, "I only… I only wanted to help,"

Yuki smiled softly, scooping his fringe to the side and planting a caring kiss upon his forehead before pulling away to stair lovingly into his eyes, "You're not allowed to be sorry. It's not your fault. It is that crazy lady's fault. She's the one who did this to us… to you," she spoke firmly as she held his broken body close. "But you need to promise me one thing. Alright."

"What is it?" the boy asked.

Yuki hesitated to answer as she was distracted by the mere tremble of his irises. She couldn't get it passed her that her younger brother had been so badly hurt. He had survived perfectly well on his own by the mountain for many years and now he was reduced to nothing more than a scared little boy. Yuki's heart raced as the anger surged throughout her and the thought of tearing open the throat of Kyoko brought her nothing but raw satisfaction. She was going to have fun toying with the woman who brought tears to Ame's eyes. She smirked to herself and without warning she pulled Ame close and gave him warm hug in hopes to raise his spirits, "Promise me that you won't ever put yourself in danger for my sake?"

"But…."

"Promise me!" she pressured

"I can't."

"You have to."

"I won't."

"Do it Ame," echoed her voice around the room and held his hand in her palm as she looked him in the eye, "Promise me," she spoke softly.

Ame felt a tug on his heartstrings and he felt inclined to give in. Only his sister could give him a guilt-tripping look like that, "Okay." He said, then paused and examined the sternness in Yuki's expression before he nodded reluctantly, "I promise," he said quietly, and rapidly looked away.

He was lucky to have a sister like her. She cared for him and loved him like a mother would to her child. Even if they didn't always see eye-to-eye they loved each other all the same in the end… and at times it would be she more so than him.

* * *

Hana stood in the warmth of the beating sun by the shore of a gently flowing river in a small clearing of the mountainside forest. She held her hand up above her eyes to block the rays from obstructing her vision as she glanced all around. She had been looked for Yuki, who hadn't been home for nearly a month now and she was far more than merely concerned. She was terrified. She couldn't bear losing another child, and she knew that Yuki wasn't as attuned to the surrounding wilderness as Ame was, and to her, there was a high chance that she wouldn't survive.

Never the less she needed to keep a clear mind and optimistic thoughts as the slightest feeling of doubt could jeopardize her efforts for finding her dear daughter.

She hadn't been home since that night that Yuki went missing; she had instead been camping out in the woods. She battled the cold every time the moon showed its face and fought of wild predators who sought to steal her precious food. However she was not alone in her efforts as none other than Yuki's childhood friend and high school companion, Souhei, accompanied her.

"How do you know she's alright?" Souhei asked curiously. He wanted to question Hana's motives. They had been searching for weeks now and he was beginning to lose hope, despite Hana's continuous repetition of the phrase, 'The forest's a big place you know.'

"A mother always knows," she replied simply and scooped her canteen through the depths of the river's water and pocketed it, "Do you need a refill of water?" she held out her hand.

Souhei placed his empty bottle in her palms, "I hope she's safe," he said in melancholy, "Do you think she ran away?"

"No," she replied simply.

"Then you think she's hurt?"

"No."

"Good. Me too."

"I think she might be lost," Hana explained.

Souhei took this as a shock. He had figured that since she was a wolf that she would be able to navigate the natural landscape with ease. Although there was always something about Yuki that he didn't know and this didn't really come as a surprise to him. He was just more or less shocked by the irony of the situation.

"What do you mean? Yuki can't be lost. She's a wolf," he questions and raised an eyebrow.

"As I said Souhei, the forest is a big place."

Souhei crossed his arms and pouted like a frustrated child who had just been scolded, "You say that too much."

"Because its true," she replied with simply and glanced back at him and granting him one of her beaming smiles.

She finished filling up Souhei's bottle and handed it back to him before continuing back on their trek. However, they did not get very far through the expansions of the woodland before they stopped abruptly amongst the trees.

"Why have we stopped?" Souhei asked.

Without turning back to face the boy, she replied, "Do you think we should climb to the summit and look there?" she inquired and pointed to the very tip of the mountain, "It would be a good resting spot and the view might give us an advantage. What do you think?"

"You're the boss."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes."

"Then up the mountain we go," she said and from there she focused her efforts on searched for a path up the mountain. The last thing she wanted to do was climb up the near vertical terrain and risking possible injury for something that might lead to nothing but disappointment.

* * *

Night had fallen and Ame lay in the arms of his older sister as he slept soundly to the beat of her heart. His breathing was placid and his dreams were full of nothing but memories of gentle glee.

"Sleep well," Yuki whispered and peacefully stroked the hair of her younger brother, "I'm here for you."

She felt a sense of responsibility that she had not ever felt before. For the first time in her life she had been charged with the protection her little brother's life. Although this was not the first time that she had this experience simulated. On many occasions her mother had told her that she was to look over Ame, to keep him safe from dangerous predators or to keep him from doing something risky, and on one wintery day she saved him from nearly drowning after he had slipped and fallen helplessly into the dreaded currents of the rapid river.

But neither of those moments had granted her the responsibility of ensuring his survival against a pressing threat. Yet, despite her hopelessness she felt inclined to follow through and even exceed it with great pride to reach a placid ending.

"Hey! Quit the cuddling session!" yelled a stern, masculine voice who interrupted her gentle thoughts, which was soon followed by the rattling of the metallic bars.

Yuki looked up with a face of pure annoyance as she grit her teeth and flashed her yellow eyes, "Do you mind shutting up and letting my brother sleep!" she hollered across the room. She was in no mood to be trifled with as she did not wish to be bothered. The peace-of-mind that her brother possessed in his innocent sleep was the most precious treasure that she sought to preserve. And she cared not for how she obtained her goal or even how she traveled such a journey.

The suited man was not only taken aback by her defiance but also by the fact that she was no longer broken. This of which prompted him to fuel his next few words of hatred, "What did you say to me you little brat!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. It was clearly noticeable that his resistance to rivalry was questionably limited.

"What are you deaf too? I told you to shut up!" she repeated, this time with even more angst in her voice as she rose to her feet and stood strong.

"Last warning little wolf. Listen to my command or I will come in there and make you!" he threatened and gripped the solid metal bars with his scary and scarred hands. He was tall and by the looks of it he was not to be trifled with. He looked more like a brute than someone of intellect.

Yet Yuki didn't budge. She felt no fear towards the laughable man, "Then I'll rip your throat out," she slipped her fangs into the man's view and made it evident that she was to be treated as a threat and not like some sort of pet, "Go ahead," she teased, "I'm feeling hungry."

The man took a step back before the tiny cogs in his brain began to piece things together, "You'll regret saying that you little shit!" With that he slammed the door of the cell open and barged in.

He menacingly towered over the young girl and cracked his knuckles, "Do you really want to fight this fight?" he bellowed.

Yuki merely smirked and within the blink of an eye she had transformed from her human form to her wolf form. She lowly growled as a warning to her attacker. However the man did not heed her threat and reached one of his large, brutish arms forward only for it be caught in the painful clutch of Yuki's jaw as she sunk her teeth deep into the rough flesh of his tender arm. Blood dripped from her mouth as she held onto the hand with every ounce of strength she hard.

"Get off me you crazy sack of fur!" he screamed and landed a single solid punch with his other hand. One of which sent her flying across the room and sliding along the lengths of the floor, "Heh! That one felt like it hurt."

Yuki began to whimper as the skin along her hairline split and began to bleed heavily and her body reverted back to its human form. That punch had knocked any hope of victory out of her as well as any sense that she may have possessed. She managed to get to her feet with her yellow eyes wide and clear. Her wild side had taken over as the blood painted half her face in a beautiful shade of crimson.

"Ready to give up and submit to me pup?" he growled and cracked his knuckles a second time.

"No way!" she yelled defiantly and charged the suited figure yet again.

This time he was able to catch her with ease and hold her close, "You're a lot easier to catch as a human you know," he smiled cruelly and casually placed a hand over her mouth and he held her hands tightly behind her back, "Look at you. So helpless!," he smirked and began to chuckle in a way that sent shivers down Yuki's spine. "Did you honestly think you could best me? My job is to break freaks like you! I've fought much worse than you and if you don't believe me, just look at you pathetic brother."

At the mention of Ame's sorry state anger surged throughout Yuki and she felt the adrenaline pump among her veins. In the heat of the moment she bit down hard on the hand covering her mouth and tore away a large chunk of flesh causing the man's reflexes to kick in and kick her off as he screamed aloud in pain. Large amounts of blood gushed from the opening in his hand and the last bits of his humanity slipped away as he began engulfed with anger.

"You bitch!" he yelled at the top of his lungs and through yet another kick at her. This time her aimed for, and hit her in her side at a speed of which caused her severe pain a redundant thoughts of despair.

Yuki yelped in pain and blood spilled out of her mouth. This led to the eventual awaking of her little brother who yawned and rubbed his eyes. To him everything that was occurring appeared as nothing more than a series of flashing blurs. But when his focus eventually returned to his waking body he began to notice the pounding of her sister. Enraged by the sight of this horrific act and encouraged by his natural instincts, he sprung to his feet and charged forward towards the bulking man, allowing his body to take the form of a ravenous wolf.

Within a heartbeat he had pounced himself upon the man and sunk his fangs directly into his neck. Piercing several important blood vessels and ripping out pieces of cartilage that lined his Thorax. His instincts had driven him to go straight for the kill and he relished in the satisfaction of the slaughter he had performed on the man who sought harm upon his guardian sister.

The man helplessly fell to the cold ground in a heap with a hand over his neck. As the blood pooled under him her slowly died cursing at the two ravenous wolves that stayed before him. Then there was nothing but the blaring sounds of the ongoing emergency sirens of which followed his death.

"I told you not to do anything stupid for my sake!" Yuki whimpered and clambered to her feet in a hurry, quick to adjust her weakness to strength and mercilessly scold his enraged brother.

"You needed help Yuki," he argued and stood strong against her bloodied appearance.

"I didn't need help."

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't."

"Then would you prefer to have died?"

"No. I was fine."

"It didn't look that way."

"You were asleep Ame. You weren't looking at all," she explained and pouted, "I'm just annoyed that broke your promise," she scolded," You're already injured, you could have been killed by him in the with the snap of a finger."

"But I wasn't."

Yuki paused and stared at him with great intent, "You're not listening to me Ame!"

"Can't you just be grateful that I saved your life?" he yelled.

"No! I didn't need saving from a brat like you!"

He growled, "Want to say that again?!"

"Fine," she smirked, "I didn't need saving you little brat – and I never will. I am your older sister so you should treat me like one!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"Make me."

"Gladly!"

* * *

"Wow!" Souhei gasped in complete and utter wonder as he stood atop the mountain summit and stared in awe from the magnificent view before him.

Hana was lost in her thoughts as the scenery surrounding her flashed memories of the pleasant years prior, "This is where Ame would howl from every time he saw the moon," she reminisced with a sense of pride evident only too clearly in her tone, "I've been meaning to meet him up every now and then but…."

"But what?"

"I've just never found the time too and I didn't know how."

"I see," he replied simply and only battered his eye at her before looking around once again and shinned his torch upon the weathered ground, "We should keep looking,"

"Right," Hana said as she too flashed on her torch and aimed it on the ground. She was hoping to find any indication to Yuki's whereabouts, whether it was a paw print or something much worse.

She intently followed the crease-line in the stone cemented in the ground until she found something that disturbed her. It was blood. And although the red, metallic substance had dried up it still had a distinctive odor to it. Hana feared the worst at this point. She knew that being in the forest that there would be many trails of blood around the place, but not many animals would be able to get up here and she was worried that this blood belonged to her beloved daughter.

"Souhei! Come look at this will you," she called out across the plateau, attracting the attention of the teenage boy.

Souhei ceased his searching and rushed over to Hana's discovery, eager to see what all the fuss was about, "What is it?" he asked curiously as he flashed his torch upon the blood, "Oh!" he exclaimed, "Is that Yuki's?"

"I can't say, I hope not,"

"It's a miracle it hasn't evaporated yet, it must be kinda fresh," Souhei knelt down by the stain of blood and sniffed at it like a dog, "Yep. It'd definitely Yuki's." He had always had a formidable sense of smell and he knew Yuki's scent from the first day they meant.

Hana's heart sunk upon hearing what she feared, "How do you know?" she questioned inquisitively and raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She hoped that he was just doing what teenagers did best and made up a story to invoke their importance.

"I just know," he replied simply.

"Really now? You _just _know?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"It smells like her."

"It smells like her?"

"Yes."

"I still don't believe you,"

"Your loss then."

Hana sighed and gave in to the kid's fantasies, "Alright then," she replied, "Say it is Yuki's? What then?"

"We follow the trail," Souhei answered and shined his flashlight to a series of other stains of blood, "It's got to lead to somewhere right?"

"And if it's not her blood?" she asked sceptically.

"Well its better than nothing now isn't it? Now come on, we're wasting time."

Hana followed the young boy. For once in the three weeks that they had been looking Souhei was leading the pair. However she wasn't sure that where he was taking them was for the best. Because if it wasn't Yuki's and the blood originated from some fallen prey then the predator would no doubt be close by and would no doubt but the two of them in a sort of danger Hana would prefer to avoid. Never the less she followed Souhei with enough trust to believe he was right.

But all was not for naught, because after all… now they were one step closer to finding Yuki.

* * *

Ame held Yuki up against the wall, snapping his canines at her tender neck as she desperately tried to push him away with her hind legs. Her helpless whimpering and his ferocious growling filled the cell and the surrounding passages. Even though he had been hurt, Ame was still much more stronger than Yuki, in both will and physical strength.

With great effort Yuki managed to plunge Ame off of her and followed up by pouncing on him and pinning him to the ground. She growled at him and showed him nothing more than her merciless eyes as she grit her teeth. But she did not attack. No. Instead she spoke.

"You shouldn't fight you're older sister Ame," she spoke civilly, "You know you won't win."

"I've beaten you before and I can do it again!" he barked back and knocked her off with ease by planting his hind legs in her belly and flicking her off. "You don't stand a chance against me Yuki. I've been doing this for years while you've been doing nothing but wasting your life away in those pointless schools!" his voice raised, "You're a disgrace… You're pathetic… You're not my sister!"

This statement took Yuki by surprise and she felt a tug on her heartstrings as her brother dismissed their kinship, "I'm not…" she said weakly and collapsed to the ground from the mere shock of his words. She was honestly surprised by what he had said; after all they had gone through surely there was some sort of natural bond between them.

"You're not my sister Yuki. You're nothing more than a pathetic shell of someone I used to respect!" … "I'll rip your heart out and maul the meat off your bones if you treat me anything less than what I deserve because you're nothing but a stranger to me."

"No," Yuki replied with simply, "I'm more than a stranger to you!" she yelled, "I am your Onii-Chan… and you better treat like one!"

With that she charged him one more time despite his warning. The sirens continued to sound deafeningly within the interior of the cell as the two wolf children fought one another viciously. Within moments suited men and women were forced to break up there fight by prying them away from one another. It took two to three suits to hold back each wolf as they struggled hard to rip each other apart. Yet despite their fruitless struggle the department minister, Kyoko, soon greeted them.

"My my. What have you pups been doing?" she scolded and tapped each one of them on the nose, "I thought you loved each other, being brother and sister. But here you are, trying to tear one another to pieces. Oh the excitement!" she squealed in joy. "I don't think I've ever investigated subjects as lively and dramatic as you."

"Ma'am," one of the suits said as he held Yuki back tightly, "They've killed Tano."

"Tano's a recruit, he's replaceable," she said coldly and quickly dismissed the man before turning back to the two clashing animals, "But what to do with you brats. I can't have you mauling each other to death – I need you alive."

She thought to herself for a few moments before coming up with, what she perceived as a brilliant solution, "Lets split you up," she spoke gleefully and turning to the suits holding them, "Take Yuki to cell 6B,"

And with final command Yuki was taken away to her prescribed cell and the two siblings never saw each other again. Except for one fateful night only weeks later of which an unexpected betrayal swept Yuki into an unwanted abyss of pure grief and regret. Only for her to reach a state of self actualization and pronounce what she eventually wished to be gracefully filled with family and forgiveness. Such is the way of the blessed wolf child.

* * *

_So I've come to the conclusion that there are aspects of this story that you guys (my dear readers) that you are not liking and I would like to know what that is. So I do not make the story progressively worse over time. So for this I continue to stress that fact that you leave a review describing what you like or what you would like to see whether in the story or the writing itself._

_Let me know what you think below and hopefully I can make this story much better._


	10. Fading Strength

_I do not own Wolf Children. All characters within this story belong to Mamoru Hosoda and Madhouse Studio. Please watch the original film, Wolf Children before embarking on this work of fictions._

_Be aware that this story takes place _one_ year after the film ends during the Summer Holidays following Yuki's first year at Middle School._

* * *

_I do not own the artwork used as the cover image. The artist is from Deviant Art known as LaestusNix._

_art/Wolf-children-359872935_

* * *

**Fading Strength**

In the corner of her damp and darkened cell of 6B sat the young, brown haired, pale-faced wolf girl known as Yuki. Shadows stretched across her face like a mask hiding who she was and concealed any emotions that she had the extreme misfortune for feeling and the regretfully expressing. Many of the guards that laid their eyes upon her saw her as nothing more than broken and pathetic - and although she was, there was a level of concealment behind those dimmed eyes of hers.

Deep inside her mind housed the thoughts she held ever so close and constantly pondered over and over again with every passing minute. She hung onto the memories of what she had done and the flouting possibility of reuniting with her brother swirled never-ending regret. She longed to see her brother again and wished as though she had never struck out against him in the first place or prompted the fight against the aggressive Ame. Her heart was beating faster and faster the disappointing reality of her actions became more and more apparent. It was because of her rash nature she had successfully isolated herself from her little brother.

She felt like a failure. What kind of Onii-chan would do such as thing? She lifted her head so that the shadows would retreat from her pretty features and the glowing nature of her eyes that had a tendency of turning yellow was all too apparent. She was wrong. But something clicked, a realisation of what was true and what was a nightmare. This wasn't her fault. It was never her fault. No. It was there's. They had been the ones who had done this to them. They were the ones who had separated her from Ame. And so… they would be there ones to pay for their insolence.

Her blood began to boil and a grin formed on her tear-drenched face as within the next few moments her actions happened in a flash. She had gone from sitting quietly and contemplating her own thoughts to rushing towards the bars at a speed she near impossible for a girl of her calibre. Yet she crashed into what restricted her escape and rattled them violently, causing her body to go wild uncontrollably at the prospect of freedom.

She acted under the illusion that if she tried hard enough that the bars would give way to her sheer tenacity, and aid in the reunion with her brother. Yet, just like everything else, her plans felt to ruin as the towering security guard who relished in the opportunity to see her life crumble around her pushed her back. She fell to the concrete flooring of her cell as a black bruise formed on her shoulder where she was struck. She looked up with tears in her eyes and her gaze joined the man's, shunning her away. But the creepiest trait about this man was that he watched over her like a hawk does with their victim, causing a sense of danger even when there was none.

"Ow…" she grumbled lowly and rubbed the afflicted area, "That hurt, you jerk!" she yelled back at him, still trying to retain all her built up anger so not to lose enthusiasm towards her escape.

The guard merely laughed and waved his stun baton in her face as if to mock her with the power he wielded over her. He grinned and exposed his teeth before walking back and forth in front of her cell, watching her every move. Waiting for an opportune moment to act against her yet again. He flailed the baton in front of him, having it collide with the bars creating an eerie ringing that chimed down the dark corridors. He was provoking her and she knew that, yet she couldn't deny the feeling of helplessness she felt - the feeling of being trapped like a rat in a trap. She was his prey and to all his motives and desired. This feeling was unbearable and she, once again, found herself charging towards the bars. This time her body began to transform once more. Her wolf form taking priority of her human form and she, once again, crashed into the bars, teeth and claws thrashing wildly. But just as before, she was pushed away by the guard, who laughed even louder than before. History likes to repeat itself.

Her wolf form began to retreat as she lay helplessly upon the cold floor and the anger she once felt for her captors receded away into the emptiness. Soon she was nothing but an empty husk of sadness and regret that curled up and cried like the little girl she was.

But she wasn't crying because of the pain from another black bruise forming on her belly, she was crying due to child-like stature, of being rendered as just another burden… or toy to be played with. As someone whose only use to society was to be experimented on and then be tossed out into the big, wide, scary world when her usefulness had come to an end.

"Is that all?" screamed the guard, "Is that all the fight you have in you?" he mocked mercilessly, "You're pathetic! You're weak! No wonder you brother thinks so lowly of you. I've had cats that have deadlier claws than you!" he grinned and spat on her.

She stayed on the ground for a while, stock still and clutching onto her hand and shaking from the perpetual fear of being struck again as the spit slowly dribbled down her face and dripped slowly onto the ground. She was content with just staying there, not moving a muscle with nothing prompting her to budge, or flinch or stumble. She felt safe like this. An unexplainable feeling came across her as though she couldn't ben harmed, as though a motherly being was watching over her. But she wasn't, and her feeling was fake despite it's looming, deceitful presence - as she was always in danger from Kyoko and her deranged followers.

But then, just as she began to believe the delusional feeling that had washed over her, the echoing voice of the one she feared the most began to approach and encroach on her sanctuary.

"Step away soldier," spoke Kyoko with a genuinely formal tone about her as she carelessly walked towards the cell bars. The tapping of her heels sent shivering down Yuki's spine, as she looked up at the insane figure with a spark of fear easily noticeable in her eyes. "All fight I see?" she spoke calmly and tapped the bars with the tips of her fingers, "Such a solid cell, don't you think," she asked Yuki, "Perfect for keeping trouble makers like yourself in line."

The trembling sight of Yuki was all too apparent but never the less she tried to stay strong in the face for such terror. She didn't appreciate her lecturing her and how sturdy the cell was and how she 'couldn't possibly get out'… because that's exactly what she intended on doing, "What… do you want?" she asked skittishly, analysing Kyoko for any peculiar attributes about her.

Needles… no.

Knives… no.

Drugs… no.

Tools of embarrassment… no.

Something clutched in her hand… yes.

But what was it? What was clutched so tightly in Kyoko's hand that seemlessly caught the attention of little Yuki without her even knowing what it was? Well the rattling of the now obviously metallic object only drew her attention more… and Kyoko noticed this.

"You want this, don't you?" she grinned and opened her hand to expose a little silver key hanging by a short chain. She grinned and dangled it in front of the cell bars, "Come get it then."

Yuki's eyes widened with excitement. Kyoko wasn't far from the bars, and even though this was clearly a trick there was one thing that she didn't plan for. Her reach. If she turned into her wolf form she could give the illusion that her reach was short but if she turned into a human at the last moment then she would be able to catch her off-guard and grab the keys.

Yuki smirked and acted upon her 'flawless' plan, rushing towards the crazy witch keeping her from her freedom and family. But just as on queue, things went horribly wrong and she ended up being pulled against the bars as Kyoko who had gripped the collar of her dress with a furious grasp.

"Not very smart are you?" she mocked and pocketed her key, "I need to speak you. Here and now."

Yuki didn't reply, but instead she tried to pull herself away from her and when she found herself rendered helpless, she lowly growled.

"You shouldn't be angry at me, Yuki. After all, I saved your life. Your brother tried to kill you and I took you away from him. You're safe here."

Hearing this made Yuki tremble in anger as it flowed through her veins and her breathing hastened too. Her hearing hazed due to the seething anger and he focus was drawn purely on her hate for the lady before her. She couldn't stand hearing her bad-mouth Ame, but she had no choice but to listen as she was in no position to fight.

"This is why I took you away, to keep you safe. I can't have him tear you apart or vice versa. For the prospect of science I need you both alive and relatively unharmed."

The anger continued to build up as Kyoko kept spouting her deceitful lies. Fuelling Yuki's intent for revenge and capacity of rage.

"So, it is to my great regret that I have no choice but to keep you two separated for the extent of your stay here. I hope you understand,"

"No," Yuki merely replied with and slashed Yuki suit-top with her clawed hand, ripping several tears into the back fabric. She was dropped to the ground almost instantly but Kyoko's expression was unaffected, "Ame is my brother! We are family. You can't keep us apart!" she yelled loudly in unprecedented anger.

"Oh?" Kyoko raised and eyebrow with morbid mockery, "Watch me," she turned around and spoke to those who watched her with great intent, "I propose a new field of testing," she paused, "I hypothesis that Yuki will bend to my will after being deprived of food over the course of the next few days." She looked at a scientist not to far behind her, "Did you get that all down?" … "Good," she then turned back to Yuki, "I hope that my hypothesis is proven correct, for your sake. I can't have a starved wolf to test with, it doesn't yield adequate results."

With that, Kyoko walked off, closely followed by the scientists that all held clipboards close in hand, excitingly taking down notes with anything related with the two wolves in order to further expand on their own research into this phenomena. Leaving Yuki all to herself to rot away seemlessly, as though her life was merely a game.

Day after day passed and time had no concept in Yuki's mind anymore. She had been left to her own devices and not a single person thought of disturbing her. Her dimly lit cell became her sanctuary of peace and solitude for her decaying sanity. She could let her mind run wild but her ambitions were frozen – gone from possible existence due to her morbid situation.

Yet one thing that annoyed her beyond reasonable comprehension was her creeping hunger. She was starving and her stomach had already begun to shrink down to an uncomfortable size. She could feel her body shrivelling away with each passing day as she was given only a few scraps of bread and a barely a pint of water. She was being tortured, she knew this all too well and she was not surprised. The monstrosities that Kyoko was capable of showed no bounds for the decency of humanity.

That's when she came to conclusion that she did not simply despise Kyoko or her ways, nor did she feel comfortable with her eventual demise that would surely approach if she pissed off Ame enough. But instead she whole-heartedly hated Kyoko with all her guts. Her insides squirmed upon hearing her name, her heart raced and her breathing got heavier and heavier upon laying eyes on her disgusting body. She could feel her body turning feral with every thought that contained even her name. In fact, she didn't just hate Kyoko. She loathed her. She detested her. She abhorred her… The list went on forever. Every possible form of pure disgust was how she felt with every passing moment of Kyoko's existence. Her savage motives could be sanctioned no more. She needed to be stopped – and she couldn't rely on Ame to snap for her body to paint the floor in a shade of glistening crimson. So when push comes to shove, she was ready to start a fight.

Just as things seemed darkest for young, innocent, little Yuki, her brother managed to be the icing on the cake. On one fateful night had Yuki lay her eyes upon and horrific sight. Yet it had nothing to do with blood or gore – maybe a little blood, but instead it was one of betrayal and replaced every ounce of hate in Yuki with nothing but stinging regret.

With the moonlight seeping through tiny windows and the candles all dimmed the hallways were dark and only a little could be seen. Yet any noise could be heard for a mile. With this, Yuki had awoken with a start one night from the eerie sound of distant growling followed by a blood-curdling scream. Then nothing. Yuki assumed that someone had pissed of Ame, and she wasn't far from the truth. A few moments later the sound of paws walking along the narrow hallways filled the immediate surroundings.

Pap… Pap… Pap… was all that was heard other than the omniscient sounds of her inhaling and exhaling, which rapidly increased in pace as the Papping came closer and closer.

When the sounds eventually reached Yuki's cell her heart nearly stopped in shock. Ame stood there, head to paw cover in fur and blood and the crimson essence dripped grimly from his fangs. He didn't even bat an eye towards her but he stopped to take in her presence.

Yuki said nothing but instead stood on the other side of bars, breathing quickly as her jaws trembled against her will. After a few moments of awkward silence, she lunged forward and grabbed the bars, yelling at Ame to help her, "Help me Ame! Don't leave me here! She's crazy… Kyoko's crazy!" … "Help me open this damn door!" she begged and screamed for his aid, "Help me!" but he did nothing.

He merely rolled his eyes and ran off down the corridor again, slowing disappearing into the engulfing darkness, leaving Yuki all alone to face the wrath of Kyoko and her disciples that was surely soon to follow. Her life just went from horrible… to depressing. She had nothing left to fight for. There was literally no point in trying to rebel or act as herself. After all… she was just a test subject - A being meant solely for lab testing and experiments. There was no use denying it now.

Just a predicted, the next morning Kyoko came storming into sight and slammed on the bars. She was accompanied by many armoured and well-equipped security officers who starred her down like a ravenous animal.

"Well is he!?" she demanded furiously as a few droplets of spit flew out of her mouth and landed upon Yuki's deprived face. "Where the hell did he go? Answer me!"

Yuki didn't answer but instead she stared intently at the enraged lady as she kept herself calm and slowed her breathing. She had made peace with herself and wouldn't be swayed if anything tragic were to happen. She just sat stock-still in the corner with the shadows concealing her face as they had done every other time she had delved into the dark places of her mind.

Yet Kyoko didn't give up on obtaining her precious answers. She kept on insisting that Yuki tell her what she desired, but the young wolf girl kept quiet. Eventually, Kyoko's impatience grew to an unbearable measure and she snapped, clicking her finger to signal the actions of the security officers was perfectly legitimate.

They unlocked her cell and before Yuki could make a run for it they approached and restrained her, rendering the seething girl helpless and a third man approached her with a needle. One filled with a green fluid that's effects would be unknown to her until forcefully injected.

Yuki looked up helplessly and met eye to eye with the mad queen Kyoko. She knelt down and snapped her fingers until the young girl's gaze met hers yet again. She grinned grimly and flashed her white teeth as the madness set in, for her next words came coldly…

"Little Yuki, I don't like being lied to."

* * *

_I am so sorry for leaving this story for nearly six months without being updated. I have been unimaginably busy with school as I am currently completing my final year and its exams galore! But alas, I have found time to write and upload this chapter. I have made it considerably longer than most other chapter and I will hopefully be updating much more frequently in order to make up for the delay._

_I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, and all those who want a 'sibling love' chapter, fear not. For I will be writing one within the near future._


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